William Ellis: Hawai‘i-Tahiti ali‘i nui marriage proposed

London Missionary Society missionary William Ellis in his Narrative of a Tour Through Hawaii or Owhyee (2nd London edition, 1827) tells of a proposed two-way marriage that would have linked the ali‘i nui of Hawai‘i to the ali‘i nui of Tahiti. The proposal was likely made in the 1810s.

This excerpt from Ellis’ book adds another link between Hawai‘i and Tahiti in the years prior to the arrival of the Sandwich Islands Mission in Hawai‘i in 1820. I devote a chapter to these ties in this era in my book The Providential Life & Heritage of Henry Obookiah.

William Ellis

“…Before I left the party, I could not help stating to them the striking identity between some of their (Native Hawaiian) traditions and those of the Tahitians; and expressed my conviction that both nations had the same origin. They said, tradition informed them that their progenitors were brought into existence on the islands which they now inhabit; that they knew nothing of the origin of the people of the Georgian and Society Islands, yet Tahiti, the name of the largest of the Georgian Islands, was found in many of their ancient songs, though not now applied exclusively to that island. With the people of Borabora, (the name they gave to the Society Islands,) they said they had no acquaintance before they were visited by Captain Cook, but that since that time, by means of ships passing from one group of islands to the other, several presents and messages of friendship had been interchanged between Tamehameha and Pomare I, and that, in order to cement their friendship more firmly, each had agreed to give one of his daughters in marriage to the son of the other. In consequence of this amicable arrangement, a daughter of Pomare was expected from Tahiti, to be the wife of Rihoriho, late king of Hawaii; and Kekauruohe, one of the daughters of Tamehameha, was selected by her father to be the bride of Pomare, the late king of Tahiti. Wanting a conveyance from Hawaii to Tahiti, Tamehameha was unable to send Kekauruohe; which, together with the death of Pomare before he had any opportunity of sending one of his relatives to Hawaii, prevented the intended intermarriages between the reigning families of Hawaii and Tahiti.”

Source: Ellis, William. 1827. [Narrative of a tour through Hawaii, or, Owhyhee; with remarks on the history, traditions, manners, customs and language of the Sandwich Islands.]. (see page 79)